Rail-joint.



IRS-739,466. v V PATENTED surf-22,1903.-

G. A. WEBER, RAIL JOINT.

AP PLIOATION FILED FEB. l0 1903. V

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1 top View of the portion offish-plate shown in UNITED STATES Patented September 22, loos.

PATENT OFFICE.

GEORGE A. WEBER, OF NEW YORK, N. Y., ASSIGNOR TO THE WEBER RAILWAY JOINT MANUFACTURING COMPANY, OF NEW YORK, N. Y., A CORPORATION OF WEST VIRGINIA.

' RAIL-JOINT.

SPEGIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 739,466, dated September 22, 1903.-

- Application filed February 10 1903. Serial No. 142,730. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, GEORGE A. WEBER, a citizen of the United States, and a resident of the borough of Manhattan, city, county, and State of New York, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Rail-Joints, of which the following is a specification, accompanied by drawings.

My invention relates to rail joints, but

more particularly to stepped joints, or such as are formed at the junctionof rails of different sizes or weights; and the objects of my invention are to improve upon the construction of such joints.

Further objects of my invention will here-- inafter appear; and to these ends my llllVGll'. tion consists of a rail'joint for carrying'out the above objects embodying the features of construction, combinations of alinements, and arrangement of parts, substantially as hereinafter fully described in this specification and shown in the accompanying drawings, in which- Figure 1 is a side View, partly in section, of a rail-joint embodying my invention. Fig. 2 is a plan View of the same. Fig. 3 is a. horizontal sectional view of the joint on the line 3/ y of Fig. 1. Fig.4 is a transverse sectional View of the joint on the line z z of Fig. 1 looking in the direction of the arrow. Fig. 5 is a transverse sectional view of the joint on the line 00 a: of Fig. 1 looking in the direction of the arrows. Fig. dis a detailed end view of two rails of diiferent size and weight arranged with the running-surfaces in alinement and the bases of the rails substantially parallel with each other. Fig. 7 is an enlarged detailed side view .of a portion of a channeled plate, showing the offsets on the same. Fig. 8 is a transverse sectional View of fish-plates shown in Fig. 7. Fig.9 is a Fig. 7. Fig. 10 is a side view of a modified form of a joint.

Referring to the drawings, A and B repre: sent the meeting ends of rails of difierent size and weight to be connected by a suitable rail-joint.

6 the conditions to be met are clearly illustrated, it being seen that supports of different height must be provided for the rails and may be supported in surface.

In the detailed end; view of Fig.-

- The rail A is shown asbeing of greater height than rail B and havingathicker flange and broader head, although various combinations of rails may be joined by suitable jointsas, for instance, the rails shown in Fig. 10, in'which the rail 0 is of less height than the rail D, but has a thicker head, and

consequently the modification of the joint is shown in this instance. A suitable support is provided for the rail ends, shown in this instance as a rail-chair E, having an upright F and base portion G. Bearings of different height are provided-upon the base portion G, whereby the running-surfaces of the rails I have shown a simple and efficient form of stepped support for the rail ends consisting of transversely-extending cleats or bearing-blocks H upon alportion of therail-chain These cleats or blocks Hare suitably secured to the chair, in this instance they being shown as riveted to the base portion of the chair by rivets I, and according to myconstruction each cleat or block is riveted at a portion only of its length to a rail-chair.- In this instance each cleat is provided with but one rivet I, the inner ends J of the cleats abutting against the upright Fof the rail-chair,

so that movement of the cleats longitudinally of the chair is prevented.

The rail B of lesser. heightappears upon the cleats or supports H, of which there may be any suitable number, while the rail A bears directly upon the support or chair E, and the fish-plates secured at each side of the rail ends are adapted to compensate for differences in the position of the parts of the rails. The fish-plates are adapted to bear upon the flanges K of the rails and also upon the inner portions L of the heads of the rails, and in order to accomplish this end it Will'be seen-that each fish-plate is offset at the top and bottom, the offset 0 of one fish-plate P compensating for the diflerences in the height of the rails. Since the Webs of the rails are not of the same thickness, it will be seen that additional compensation is provided therefor, each fish-plate being oflset laterally as well as at the top and bottom.

While any suitable form of fish-plate may be provided, I have shown flanged fish-plates, one in the form of a flanged plate Q and the other in the form of a channel-plate R, while a filling-strip, which may be of wood, is in sorted in the channel of the plate R and between the plate and the upright F of the railchair E. Suitable bolts T are adapted to secure the parts of thejoint-flanges together,and since the fish-plates bear upon the flanges of each rail and also beneath the inner portions of the heads of the rails it will be seen that a tight and rigid joint is formed. In the construction shown the edge of a flange of a fish-plate lies in substantially one plane and the edges of the flanges of the channel-plate lie in substantially the same plane. In forming the fish-plates with the requisite ofisets, both lateral and at the top and bottom, any suitablemeans may be used, it having been found convenient to forge the fish-plates with the requisite offsets. In the modification shown in Fig. 10 the rail 0 of lesser height has the thicker head, and therefore the flanged fish-plate is forged or otherwise formed with the requisite offsets to meet the conditions required in a joint of the character shown in Fig. 10. As before, the fishplate bears upon the flanges of each rail and upon the inner portions of the heads of the rails, so that when the bolts are tightened up a firm and rigid joint is secured.

I do not herein claim the rail-joints shown, described, and claimed in my copending application, Serial No. 154,220, filed April 25, 1903, for improvements in step-joints.

Obviously some features of my invention can be used without others, and my invention may be embodied in widely-varying forms.

Therefore, without limiting myself to the construction shown and described or enumerating equivalents, I claim, and desire to obtain by Letters Patent, the following:

1. The combination with rails of different size and height, of a rail-support adapted to keep the running-surfaces of said rails in alinement, fish-plates oflset both laterally and at the top and bottom to compensate for differences in position of the remaining parts when the running-surfaces 0f the heads of said rails are in surface and alinement, for substantially the purposes set forth.

2. The combination with a stepped railchair adapted to keep the running-surfaces of rails of different height in surface and alinement, of channel and angle plates, both offset laterally and at top and bottom to com.- pensate for differences in position of the rails when in position on the chair, for substantially the purposes set forth.

3. The combination with the rail ends, of a rail-chair having an upright and a base portion, said base portion being steppedto af-' ford bearings of different height for the rail ends, channel and angle plates both oflset laterally and at top and bottom to compensate for differences in position of the rails whenin position on the chair, a packing-strip inserted between the channel-plate and the upright of the rail-chair, and bolts for securing the parts of the joint together, for substantially the purposes set forth.

4. The combination with rails of diflerent size and height, of a stepped rail-support adapted to support the running-surfaces of said railsin surface and alinement, fish-plates oflset both laterally and at top andbottom to compensate for differences in position of the remaining parts when the inner faces of the heads are in alinement, the said fish-plates being adapted to bear upon the flanges and the under portions of the heads of the rails, and means for securing the parts of the joint together, for substantially the purposes set forth.

5. The combination with rails of different size and height,of a rail-support having cleats or bearing-blocks upon a portion of the same, whereby the running-surfaces of said rails of diflerent height maybe supported in surface and alinement, for substantially the purposes set forth.

6. The combination with rails of different size and height, of a rail-chair having an upright and a base portion, transversely-extending cleats or bearing-blocks secured to the base of the rail-chair on a portion of the same, whereby the running-surfaces of said rails of diflerent height may be supported in surface and alinement, for substantially the purposes set forth.

7. A fish-plate for a stepped rail-joint characterized by a lateral offset and an offset at both top and bottom to compensate for differences in position of rails of different height and size, for substantially the purposes set forth.

8. A flanged fish-plate for a stepped railjoint characterized by a lateral offset and an ofiset at both top and bottom, the flanged edge lying in substantially one plane, for

substantially the purposes set forth.

9. A channeled fish-plate for a stepped railjoint characterized by a lateral offset and an offset at both top and bottom, the edges of the flanges of the channel lying in substantially the same plane, for substantially the purposes set forth.

In testimony whereof I have signed this specification in the presence .of two subscribing witnesses.

GEORGE A. \VE BER.

Witnesses:

E. VAN ZANDT, A. L. OBRIEN. 

